“He’s fun to be around,” Andre said of Bruce Ellington, who has 25 receptions for 294 yards and two touchdowns this season. “He’s a pleasure. I’m sure the guys love him out here and hopefully he can keep that personality going.”

San Antonio has managed to fare rather well without Leonard, going 19-8 and riding and four-game win streak into Dallas, including a 105-102 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics.

At the end of the team’s Monday practice, reporters observed a sweat-soaked Leonard, a clear indication that he is certainly on the cusp of playing.

Regarding the Grizzlies talking with each other about the overall problems, Gasol said: “I don’t think talk does much. It’s doing. I always believe that talk is great, and we’re going to say the right things, and we can sit down and sing `Kumbaya,’ but it’s more about grabbing it and taking ownership of the things we have to do.”

“I am embarrassed by the situation and my actions on Saturday,” McDowell wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “I would like to apologize to the Atlanta Police Department, SL Lounge, the entire Seattle Seahawks organization and my teammates. I am a young man who made a mistake and am constantly working towards getting better.”

The Seahawks had no immediate comment on McDowell’s arrest when news of it broke just before kickoff of their game Sunday at Jacksonville. Coach Pete Carroll said Monday that he and general manager John Schneider met separately with McDowell since the incident and that McDowell is “very remorseful.”